Red Lips, Tips, and Picks | #Blogmas Day 6

My first makeup love was the classic red lip and if you've read my blog before, you will notice lots and lots of lip stick posts with mostly red lipsticks. As we're entering the holiday season and getting closer to winter, red lip season is also back!

I'm not saying these are the greatest tips since I'm not a professional, but the tips below are what I do to help me with a long lasting and comfortable red lip look. I also included my personal choices of what I'm going to use this year for my red lip choices!

Besides the obvious of using lip balm, I do like to use red tinted lip balms to prep and to even moisturize my lips while wearing the red lip. I don't have lip balm favorites, but I'm currently rotating the Korres Wild Rose Lip Butter, Fresh Beauty Sugar Lip Treatment in Rose, and Lipstick Queen Medieval Lipstick. They're all sheer and so they don't affect the color I'm wearing at that time. To apply balm on top of lipstick, I just lightly tap the product onto my lips to add some moisture but not enough to break down or disturb the finished look. I find that lip balms on top of liquid lipsticks break them down faster, but they're great for more traditional formulas/packaging.

I'm extra and so to really make sure my red lips last forever, I like to lay down a lip tint as a base. This way, I can pretty much guarantee that the color won't go away. The best ones I've tried recently are the Chateau Labiotte Wine Lip Tint in RD01 and the Pony Effect Deep & Pure Lip Tint in Delightful. They're very pigmented and so if you want easy, one of these pigmented lip tints plus a red lip balm will be all you'll need.

Like with tinted lip balms, I'm not fussy with lip liners since I've found good ones at every price point. I also don't think lip liners are necessary most of the time, but they're amazing with darker lips and when you want a precise line. I usually line and fill my lips with a darker red lip liner so that even if the color fades in the center, it looks like an intentional ombre. I've used the NYX Lip Liner Pencil in Cabaret and Stila Long Wear Lip Liner in Passionate (discontinued) for years and they've worked wonderfully. A recent favorite is the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Lip Pencil in Rock Steady since it glides on a bit better. With red and darker lips, I tend to go bigger and bigger when I don't have an outline to stay in. Uneven lines show up so easily with shades like these and so any affordable lip liner will work wonders to help you out in terms of shape and lasting power.

& now onto actual lipsticks.

In general, I recommend liquid lipsticks for lasting powder but they're not always the most comfortable choice. The most comfortable, but not everything-proof, liquid lipstick I've found is the Pony Effect Stayfit Matte Lip Colour in Incredible. It's a very classic red and the finish feels slightly velvety and so it's very comfortable for me to wear.

For the classic bullet style of lipsticks, I also go for more matte or velvety finishes. They're not as long wearing as liquid lipsticks, but they're more comfortable for me to wear and they're also easier to reapply. I will always recommend the MAC Viva Glam I Lipstick because not only is it a great formula with a great color, it goes for an amazing cause. It has a browny brick red tone to it to make it wearable for everyone too. Other formula and color choices include the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Red Carpet Red and Etude House Dear My Blooming Lips Talk Chiffon Lipstick in RD315. They're both long lasting with minimal touch ups and with the velvet/chiffon finish, they're incredibly comfortable.

An unconventional red lip choice but also one of my personal favorites is the pinky red! I have a whole post on it here, but a famous choice in this shade is the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl. Chubby lip pencils like these are so quick and easy to use as well and with this packaging, I can also skip out on lip liner. For vampier reds, I like more oxblood/burgundy shades like the lipstick version of Urban Decay's Lipstick in Rock Steady. It's not super vampy, but the plummy tones in it does show up more on my lips. The cream finish is also comfortable, but not as long wear and so that's where lip pencils do help!

Lastly, I have been getting into metallic lips and they make me feel so festive. They're actually not as crazy as I thought either and have been really enjoying wearing them. A great choice is the Milani Amore Matte Metallic Lip Creme in My Soulmatte and it's a metallic medium-dark red.

L to R -

Chateau Labiotte Wine Lip Tint in RD01

Pony Effect Deep & Pure Lip Tint in Delightful

NYX Lip Liner Pencil in Cabaret

Stila Long Wear Lip Liner in Passionate

Urban Decay Lip Liner & Lipstick in Rock Steady

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Red Carpet Red

Etude House Dear My Blooming Lips Talk Chiffon Lipstick in RD315

MAC Viva Glam I Lipstick

Pony Effect Stayfit Matte Lip Colour in Incredible

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl

Milani Amore Matte Metallic Lip Creme in My Soulmatte

Lipstick Queen Medieval Lipstick

Korres Wild Rose Lip Butter

Fresh Beauty Sugar Lip Treatment in Rose

To summarize my stay all day red lip steps -

1. Tinted lip balm

2. Lip tint

3. Lip liner to line and fill in the lips

4. Lip stick

5. Tinted lip balm

Super groundbreaking, right?! /s

What are your red lip picks this season? What are your tips for the perfect long lasting red lip?